No Heroes to Save You Now
by The Dimenssionalist
Summary: What if there was no Hero of Wizard City? No Savior of the Spiral? In this universe, there was no one to stop Malistaire. He's summoned the titan and soon he will have Sylvia. Or will he? Does the story end here, or does it open a new chapter?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: An idea that came to me in a dream.**

NO HEROES TO SAVE YOU NOW

Malistaire looked at the blood red skies of Dragonspyre. In a few moments, his quest would be over, his life would return to him and for once in what felt like forever, he felt- _happy_? No, that wasn't right. Excited? Malistaire couldn't think of a word to describe how he was feeling. But as he looked to the sky, he knew one thing for certain: his Life, Sylvia, was coming back.

He had done it. All of his plans worked better than expected. Wizard City was currently being destroyed by an undead army and the Dragon Titan was being summoned. As soon as it finished forming, Malistaire would take control over it as its summoner and master. Then he would use its unlimited power to bring his beloved Sylvia back to life. After that, he would rule over the Spiral! He'd command the Dragon Titan to destroy whatever remained of Wizard City, he'd make the other worlds bow to him as their king and he'd do it all with his queen, Sylvia, by his side, as they ruled together in their palace on Dragonspyre. He just had to wait for this titan to finish forming.

He watched the titan form piece by piece. So far only its eye had been successfully regenerated, the rest of it was still being formed. A dragon titan was a powerful creature. If something like that would ever be destroyed, it would take a lot of power to bring it back from whatever abyss it was sent to. Malistaire was truly at a loss of how to feel and what to do. Ever since he came up with his plan to bring back Sylvia, he never stopped for a moment. Never stopped to rest or think, he couldn't even remember the last time he ate something. But now, he had nothing to do until the titan formed. Naturally, he took this time to think about his actions. Not in a "how could I have done these terrible things?" way, but in a "my brilliant plan worked!" way.

He thought back to stage one of plan: steal Bartleby's eye. It turned out to be surprisingly easy. Bartleby, being a tree, was unable to fight back as Malistaire stole his eye in a gruesome fashion he didn't like dwelling on. Bartleby certainly didn't seem like an all powerful force of ancient magic after Malistaire was done with him. Despite Bartleby being less than expected, the eye proved to be even more powerful than Malistaire could have imagined. With it, he could raise thousands of undead and command them to join his army. Of course it was not without limits. Malistaire found that there was too much within the eye for him to use it all at once. He had to extract the mana from it in fractions lest he burn himself up from on overload of magic. Even with the smallest bits though, he was filled with an unimaginable amount of power. And that power was used for part 2 of his plan.

Raise an army of undead and use it to attack Wizard City. Malistaire knew that Ambrose would try to stop him, but Malistaire wasn't going to give him a chance. He enlisted five elites to manage his army and to carry out specific tasks assigned to each of them while he dealt with reviving Sylvia. This part of his plan called for separate coordinated attacks, each to cripple Wizard City in one way or another. He had Rattlebones corrupt the fairies of Unicorn way, as Malistaire feared that with the fairies healing magic, Wizard City would put up a much greater fight. Next he ordered the Harvest Lord to teach storm magic to the undead to make them even more powerful. He forced the Cyclops general Akilles to turn against Wizard City and kidnap any wizard he could find as to weaken any army Ambrose could rally. Next, he had Bastilla Gravewynd corrupt the Fire Elves with her ghostly song. Finally, he had Lord Nightshade monitor things and report back to him.

The plan was perfect! With it, Malistaire completely crippled the city. With monsters attacking on every street and old allies being turned against them, Ambrose was unable to spare any wizards and could do nothing to stop him. The plan actually worked a bit too well. Malistaire expected Wizard City to put up a better fight. He expected at least one fool to try and play hero, but no one did. And it made the rest of Malistaire's work that much easier.

The next part was simple: Kill Ambrose. While old, Ambrose was a serious threat to Malistaire's plans. Malistaire knew that if anyone could defeat him, it would be Ambrose. His first assassination attempt failed miserably. He fought Ambrose at the top of Golem Tower with what had to be the two weakest Draconians to ever exist. He underestimated just how strong Merle was and he was forced to retreat. His next attempt yielded better results, but still failed. Ambrose and the other professors always worried about a spy in their midst. Of course they figured that if there was a spy it would be either Cyrus or a death wizard. What they never expected is that it could have been a storm wizard who kept to himself in a library assisting the librarian. Boris Tallstaff made for an excellent spy. No one questioned why the seemingly harmless book suddenly turned into a ticking time bomb after Boris got his hands on it. The explosion, sadly, didn't kill Ambrose like it was supposed to. It did severely weaken him to the point where he could no longer give orders. Without his leadership, Wizard City crumbled.

The rest of Malistaire's plan was fairly simple. Use the unlimited power of Bartleby's eye to raise the mummies and ghosts of Krockotopia and obtain the Krockonomicon, the book he'd need to summon the Dragon Titan. He wasn't pleased when he found out that Marleybone archeologists had found the book first though. Because of this, he had to take an unplanned detour to Marleybone and he was sure to make the people of that world pay for the inconvenience.

He decided that the only way to steal the Krockonomicon was with the help of criminals and luckily for Malistaire, the infamous Meowiarty and his O' Leary gang would be happy to help, so long as Malistaire broke them out of prison. The prison break worked flawlessly. Who would've guessed how terrible Marleybone security is? It made Malistaire wonder just how Meowiarty got kidnapped in the first place. Needless to say, stealing the Krockonomicon proved too easy. Malistaire was honestly surprised that he met with almost no resistance. He assumed the universe ran out of heroes.

With the Krockonomicon secure, Malistaire was prepared to leave Marleybone, but not before exacting his revenge. The detour he took was unplanned and unnecessary, and if someone were trying to stop him (although it didn't look like anyone was) then this opportunity would have given them the chance to catch up with him. He decided that the best course of action would be to use the power of Bartleby's eye and raise another undead army on the rooftops of Marleybone to give them a taste of his power. He was pleasantly surprised by how many dead bodies were just lying around the rooftops.

After that, he took a quick trip to Mooshu to steal the Dragonspyre Spiral Key from the emperor. A shame that Yoshito had to die in the process.

With the Krockonomicon in his hand and the eye of Bartleby, Malistaire could now summon the Dragon Titan and revive his beloved Sylvia. While preparing for the spell, he received word from Lord Nightshade that Wizard City had completely fallen. Lady Oriel had been corrupted into a dark seraph, and with her power, the gates to Unicorn Way had to be shut. Diego the duel master refused to give up however, and it is said he almost defeated Dark Oriel. Almost. Once Unicorn Way fell, the other streets toppled like dominoes. The undead in Triton Avenue destroyed the windmill and cut off Wizard City's power supply. The Fire Elves had completely run out the citizens of Fire Cat Ally. The Cyclopes managed to kidnap a good forty wizards before joining the trolls in destroying Cyclops lane and rebuilding it as "Giant Kingdom". And Colossus Boulevard had been eaten! Malistaire didn't even plan for that, but he didn't complain when the homeless Gobblers devoured the snow covered houses. With all of the streets lost to the monsters, the people of Olde Town had to flee to the shopping district and Commons for safety. Their safety didn't last long though. It took but one day for Malistaire's army to begin pouring into the Commons. Lord Nightshade told Malistaire that the wizards, guards, and even citizens were still fighting back in a ditch effort but Malistaire knew he had won. The people of Wizard City would die and Malistaire would be reunited with his beloved Sylvia.

After a few more minutes of contemplating, Malistaire noticed the Titan was almost complete. The tail was still forming and the rest of the dragon remained, unmoving, but Malistaire knew that it would be mere seconds until his Life returned to him. Unfortunately, those mere seconds felt like hours being stretched across the Spiral. He watched as the Titan reformed itself piece by piece while time itself seemed to be slowing down. Of course, that was mostly the Titans fault. An entity that powerful has effects on the surrounding area such as slowing down time, emitting a minor gravitational field and making anyone who stands near it feel as if all the mana in their body is racing through them so fast they might explode. On rare occasions, they do.

Several, agonizing seconds later, it was done. The Titan was finally formed. Malistaire took in the sheer magnitude of the beast. It was a dragon, yes, but not the kind you would normally see fire wizards casting. Those dragons have sleek bodies and even sleeker scales with wings the size of their bodies and long necks. The Dragon Titan was something that probably ate them for breakfast. A colossal reptile so big that you could see it standing on the Crown of Fire all the way from the Basilica, it had ragged, black scales as if crudely carved straight out of a mountain. Its tail, long and jagged with spikes, with a sharp and deadly ending. The face was probably the most terrifying of all. Black and obvious scales covering it with a long horn that looked like it was made of obsidian. Its emerald green eyes looked around the area as if not believing the world around him was real. Once the Titan confirmed that he was truly reawakened, he stood on his hind legs and rose. He unfolded his leathery wings and casted a shadow that swept over Malistaire and the rest of the Crown and then breathed a stream of blazing red fire into the air.

_He's stretching. _Thought Malistaire.

The titan looked down and took notice of his summoner. He returned on all fours and let out a deafening roar towards Malistaire's direction, revealing his pointed and scaled tongue and his sharp teeth.

_You dare summon me? _Malistaire felt a voice pounding in his head. It was deep, powerful, ancient and filled with millennia of malevolence. _I am a Dragon Titan. I am older than you will ever be. In my time in this Spiral, I have brought Giants to their knees. I have ruled mountains and skies. I was one of the first pyromancers before you mortals discovered magic. I will destroy you and your kind and return my brethren back from the abyss we were trapped in for so many years. I will-_

"You will obey me creature." Commanded Malistaire in a monotone voice. "I have summoned you and as your summoner, you are to do as I command dragon. Or should I call you by your true name? Draconis-hic-tamen-qui-in-omnibus?"

The titan reeled back after hearing this man say his true name. Malistaire was no fool. If he didn't know the dragon's true name then his summoning spell would have little effect on it. The Krockonomicon was an ancient and powerful book. Despite what the Marleybonians would tell you, the Krockonomicon wasn't just a detailed recording on Krockotopia's history. If you read in between the lines and use the proper spell (the one he stole from Loremaster), you'd find the true names of creatures that roamed the Spiral thousands of years ago. Malistaire wanted this specific dragon. To call upon one at random wouldn't give him the same measure of control and with dealing with forces as powerful as titans, Malistaire needed all the control he could get.

The titan bowed his head. _Very well. What_ _would you have me do… master? _He spoke the word "master" as if it was killing him, which it probably was.

"What I want is for my Life to return to me. I want you to revive Sylvia Drake from the afterlife! Mind, body, soul, heart, everything she was before she fell to illness."

The dragon listened to Malistaire's request. He thought about the nature of the man he was forced into slavery to. And then he laughed.

_Hahahahaha! You want me to revive your lost love? You believe that I have such power? This is the most comical thing I have heard in my existence! I wasn't revived by some all-powerful necromancer, I was revived by a grief-stricken lunatic!_

Malistaire ended the dragon's laughter with a black lightning bolt powered by the eye of Bartleby. He did not come this far to be taunted and mocked by a beast that _he controlled! _He would force the dragon to obey him no matter how much pain he had to put it through. And with it being a near immortal titan, he could put it through much more pain than he could to anyone else.

"Silence!" Ordered Malistaire. "I revived you. I control you. You will do what I command! You're supposed to be an unstoppable force of magic, power and ancient knowledge! Now you will bring back my Sylvia!"

_You truly are an idiot. I do not have the ability to fully revive a being from the dead. If I did, would I not use it on my fallen comrades during the Titan War? I don't even know who would possibly have such knowledge._

"You were dead for several thousand years. Did you learn nothing from your time in the afterlife? Such as, who is the authority on death?"

_Under your logic, every creature destroyed would be an expert on death. Allow me to share a few things with you on the nature of dying. To start, it works differently from monsters to mortals. Why and what the separation is between the two I do not know, but I do know that when a monster such as me dies, we remain trapped in a dark pit, our essence scattered throughout the void. We piece ourselves together bit by bit until we are whole again. Whatever the pit is made of, it isn't able to contain a solid being and the reformed creature returns to the Spiral, assuming that the pit is beyond the Spiral._

"Beyond the Spiral? There are things that exist past it?" asked Malistaire.

_Perhaps. If anyone were to know it would be the Celestians of old. Maybe you can bring them back to life with your beloved Sylvia and ask them?_

Malistaire blasted the titan again for his mockery. "Enough. Tell me where this place is. Tell me about where Sylvia is. Tell me how to bring her back!"

_I don't know what happens to mortals when they die. Maybe I should kill you, so you can discover firsthand what happened to you beloved._

Malistaire prepared to attack the titan once again, but what it said gave him idea. Looking back, he wondered why he thought summoning a titan would help him bring back Sylvia. If he were to return her to this world, he'd have to find her in the afterlife, a place that no one alive has ever ventured, and bring her back. He would still have his kingdom and the titan was an added bonus, but most importantly, he'd have his Life back.

Malistaire raised his wand towards the titan. "You are going to help me find a way to the afterlife, without dying, and you will help me find my way to Sylvia. You will do exactly as I tell you."

_You are a lunatic. A delusional, suicidal, idiotic, grief-stricken, lunatic. You will find nothing at the end of your mad quest. You'll die in some painful way and never reach your Sylvia. However, I will help you. Not just because I'm bound to, but also because I find you to be quite amusing. A few "sorry about your loss" cards wouldn't do it for you. Unlike every other sane person, you want to go on some fools quest to bring back your love. It will be a grand sight for me to watch you die in failure while I tell you "I told you so." Not to mention, when you fail I will no longer be bound to you. I will be free to do as I please._

Malistaire disregarded the dragon'sthreats. After how far he'd come, a titans mockery wasn't going to stop him from bringing back his Life. He was going to find a way to bring Sylvia back no matter what it took or where it took him.

The titan flapped his wings and took to the skies, kicking up dirt and debris in the process.

_Are you coming, lunatic?_

Once again ignoring the creature, Malistaire followed it as it flew off to the Necropolis.People would call him a villain, people would call him a lunatic, but he didn't care. Malistaire was currently the most powerful wizard alive and had a titan under his control. Soon, he would be the explorer and master of death. Soon, he'd be the king of the entire Spiral and maybe the king of what lies beyond the Spiral. Soon, he'd have his Life, Sylvia, back. If he had to be a villain or a lunatic or both to accomplish his goals then so be it. No matter what he became, one thing was certain.

He would not be denied.

**A/N: I'm really proud of how this turned out. A couple of writers (BuBuWinter and Firestorm Nauralagos) helped me have a better understanding on what type of character Malistaire is, so I decided to write this in honor of my new found understanding to Malistaire. If you two are reading this, thank you. Originally, this was going to be a one-shot ending with Malistaire failing and committing suicide, but as I started writing, a plot began to develop. This will last for a few more chapters, but I doubt it's headed for double digits. Another note, I was originally going to post this once I finished making a forum dedicated to Wizard101 theories. I haven't finished the forum, and what I've written so far is on Google Doc. I'll announce it when it's finished, but until then stay tuned. My closing statement, I'll be pretty busy for a while. I've joined two clubs and math tutoring at the same time so there goes most of my weeks and now that wizard101 has (finally!) released Khrysalis part 2, there goes my weekends. That's all folks. I hope you enjoyed the read, and please review. Your feedback helps me as a writer!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Oh hey, look at this ancient piece of text everyone probably forgot about. Well it's back. For proper notes, see the bottom.**

* * *

Boris couldn't believe his luck. After everything he'd done, he was now trapped between the people he betrayed and the people he knew would betray him. His literacy experiences told him this type of situation was both ironic and fitting. The traitor was now on the verge of being betrayed by the very people he served and his only chance of survival rested in the hands of the people he betrayed (who, thankfully, hadn't figured that out yet). As pathetic as that was, Boris knew it wasn't his fate his fate to die this way. He was smart, he was clever, he was tactical and he sure as hell wasn't going to die in such a cliche way. Just because all the stories point to a horrible fate doesn't mean its the one he's going to end up in. He was getting out of this cave. He was getting out of this world. After that, he was going to Mirage.

Boris wasn't an idiot. He knew that there was a good chance that once Malistaire got his titan, he'd forget about the promises he made to all the little people. That's why Boris picked a world to escape to, a world Malistaire couldn't reach even if he had the titan. It's also why Boris never told Malistaire that the titan wouldn't be able to bring Silvia back. The necromancer was probably figuring that out right now and was about to find a new way. Whatever way that was, Boris wasn't going to stick around to see it.

Boris was currently stuck at the WCSC, the Wizard City Survival Camp. Once word of Unicorn Way being taken over by monsters reached the commons, a few paranoid survivalists decided to open up Nightside and set up camp. Once the monsters took over Olde Town, most people followed after them. The camp housed a few hundred people. Unfortunately, only 22 of them were wizards, food was minimal, and there wasn't much room. The Sunken City had been cleared out completely of monsters to provide space but it still wasn't enough. It was hard to move without bumping into someone. There was also the matter that they couldn't stay here forever. They'd run out of food and water at some point. There's also the monsters in the commons area. At some point, one of them would find the secret cave hidden behind the waterfall. They'd notice the door. They'd get curious. Eventually, they'd break it down and when they did, they'd find the missing citizens and strip them of their title as "Wizard City Survivors."

Boris rummaged through his backpack. He knew there was nothing in there of value, a half empty water bottle, some treasure cards, a few books from his favorite author, some sandwiches and a crystal. The crystal was his way of talking to Lord Nightshade, something he wasn't about to do with other watching. He needed a place where no one could see him. He finished his bag check and closed it up. He was perfectly aware that nothing had changed since the last time he checked (six minutes, and forty-eight seconds but who's counting?) but he was nervous. When he got nervous, he could feel his own personal universe unraveling, a rather unpleasant feeling. A feeling that would only go away if he made sure everything around him was in order. After checking his empty pockets for the third time, he walked away from the backyard he'd been standing in.

The house was so quiet looking he assumed no one was there and no one could see him. He was wrong when he got there. A mother and her son had set up camp and Boris tried his best to leave in the least awkward way possible. He wandered the streets, desperate to find a place where he couldn't be seen. As he passed by sidewalks filled with scared children, worried parents and empty looking eyes, he briefly considered burying himself in an empty grave and talking to Nightshade from there before dismissing the idea. Someone would see him and try to convince him suicide is not the answer. His next idea was to to walk right into a house and force whoever was in to leave but that was even worse than the grave idea. Upon thinking of a third plan, did he see the shed.

The shed wasn't impressive. It was small, the roof was rotting, the wood was cracked under the weight, the nails pointed out at odd angles and the door knob would probably stab you upon turning it. But it was empty. That was all he needed. He walked around it to make sure it was out of eyesight. Some people across the street might see him go inside but they wouldn't know what he was doing. He walked inside and closed the door behind him. The lock wouldn't work but it didn't matter; he'd hear if someone tried to snoop. And if anyone asked questions about why he was in there he could just say he was meditating. He opened his bag and pulled out the green crystal.

He rubbed it a few times so it'd be clear and focused on Lord Nightshade. An image of him appeared in the crystal in less than a minute.

"Boris. How pleasant to see you still alive." The robed skeleton regarded. Of course it was a lie.

"Lord Nightshade, I'm here with the surviving wizards and let me just say, you've done a rather pathetic job of killing them."

Nightshade leaned in closer to the crystal. Boris thought for a moment that he might be reaching through it.

"Explain. How many are left?"

Boris lied, "almost a hundred, half of whom are at least grandmasters. They're planning on getting reinforcements. After that, they plan on attacking your tower in hopes that it will get the other monsters to surrender."

Nightshade's expression was neutral, Boris couldn't tell if he believed him or not.

"Where are they?" He asked.

"They're keeping multiple bases, so to attack from multiple angles. The main base where I'm at is in a secret underground cave at Dark Cave. I've never been told about it so I can't give you a specific location. From my understanding, there's another base in your location and two more scattered throughout Wizard City. They're communicating through crystals like us. The reinforcements will come through through the Spiral Door. I take it you still haven't taken over Ravenwood?"

"We haven't. Bartleby is too powerful there. But we'll station guards at the tunnel to choke them off. The other bases will be searched for and hopefully found before they can mount their attack. I wouldn't worry too much though. Our forces grow stronger each day. report back to me if you learn something but only if its important. if the others are communicating through crystals, there's a chance they might intercept us. If that happened, I can't be certain what will happen to you dear Boris. We might lose a valued ally."

_Yeah right. _Boris thought. _You hate wizards and don't need me anymore. The moment you can you'll destroy me._

"Alright then, I'll keep digging and then report back." He put the crystal back in his bag and left the shed. If everything went right, Nightshade now believed there was an army of powerful wizards hiding around Wizard City ready to fight back. Nightshade believed he was stronger than any wizard but he was also careful. He'd start taking precautions. The next part of Boris' plan was about to begin.

He walked through the crowded streets, careful not to step on any camps or tents, and made his way to the death school. This area was reserved for the wizards. It was here that they discussed escape plans. Boris walked inside to see other 21 wizards.

The one at the front desk regarded him. "Boris, you're late."

"You know how traffic is around these place." It was a joke, but it was clear it didn't go over too well. Only one person had the nerve to laugh. That person was Ethan Firewave.

"Did you spend the past five minutes thinking of that joke?"

Ethan seemed to be the only one left with a cheerful attitude. He was by no accounts happy about the situation, nor did he enjoy it, but he somehow found a way to keep smiling.

The wizard at the front desk continued his speech. "As I was saying earlier, we need to leave. Like, tomorrow at the latest. We're out of food and water and the residents are losing hope."

A female voice spoke out. "We can't leave. They have monsters all over Wizard City. Where would we go? We should just send a few wizards out for food."

"We can't send people. Like you said, monsters are everywhere. They'd get caught in a heartbeat and we don't exactly have a tactical location. The waterfall is the only reason why they haven't found this place and all it takes is one monster to notice someone appearing and disappearing behind it. But you are right, there's no place to go. I assume they've taken over the world gate."

"No they haven't," Boris stepped in. He pulled his crystal out of his bag. "I've been using this to look around Wizard City. There's only a few positions where I have sight, but I do have visual over Ravenwood. There aren't any monsters. I think Bartleby and the other trees are keeping them away."

The other wizard began murmuring to each other. Boris could tell they were liking the idea. Ethan whispered to the wizard at the table: "Do you think we could make it, Nicholas? This looks like our only chance."

Nicholas' expression was grim.

"Alright, quiet!" He ordered. "This is good news but there's still a problem: there's hundreds of people here and we're the only ones that can fight. Can we really keep all of them alive from here to Ravenwood?"

Everyone looked at the floor. They knew they couldn't. They also knew they'd only be able to make one trip. Once the monster see them come out this way they'll inspect sunken city and slaughter the survivors.

"Still," Nicholas continued. "We have a destination now. If we can make it to Ravenwood we'll be safe. We can use the Spiral Door to go to a world where we'll be safe like Grizzleheim or Mooshu. Maybe even Wysteria."

"We have to do something by tomorrow morning." Boris added. "I say we try taking everyone at once to Ravenwood. Some people will die, but everyone will die if we don't do something soon."

That got to them. Everyone started nodding in agreement, although it was in a slow and sad way that said: "There really is no other option."

Nicholas cleared his throat and addressed the wizards. "Alright then. We leave tomorrow morning. Tell everyone. We'll meet back here before the sun is up. For better or worse, this is going to be our last night here."

Everyone agreed and walked out the school. While the others dispersed to wherever they set up their camps, Boris went back to the old shed. He was pleasantly surprised to see that no one had moved in. He closed the door behind him and took out the crystal. After a minute of concentration, the face of Lord Nightshade glowed from within.

"Boris. What have you to report?" He asked.

"They're running out of food and getting desperate. They've planned an all out attack for next morning. The attack plan seems to be three squads to attack you in Haunted Cave and two squads to reclaim the other streets. The reinforcements will be one of those squads and will reclaim the Commons before joining the other squad in reclaiming the streets."

Boris could almost see the worry in Nighshade's face. Maybe this could actually work.

"It doesn't matter." Nightshade looked behind him to stare at something for a moment before looking back at Boris. He continued, "yes, it doesn't matter. We still outnumber them. We also have a very special surprise waiting for them when they try to attack. The reinforcements might be problematic but if our ambush works well enough then they won't be in much fighting shape by the time they join the others. Everything is under control. When we're done why don't you visit me in my tower? I'd like to reward you for your service."

_Like hell. _Boris thought. Instead of saying that out loud, though, he just beamed like a seven-year old when a teacher told him he was getting a sticker for a job well done.

"Certainly, Lord Nightshade. See you tomorrow."

The image of Nightshade faded within the crystal and Boris put it in his bag. So far, everything was working. Save for one little problem…

Boris looked through his bag and pulled out his treasure cards. He was never the best when it came to magic. He was a Myth wizard for years and yet he could barely cast anything stronger than a Cyclops. From what he read, he just wasn't born with much mana or mana connection capabilities. No amount of studying would change the fact the he needed treasure cards to have any chance surviving a magical duel. He pulled out one of them; the ice spell _Freeze_.

"_Praestringo_." Boris chanted.

He heard a small cry come from the side of the shed and walked outside to investigate. Frozen in a block of ice was Ethan Firewave. The ice broke apart and Ethan was left on the ground shivering.

Boris looked around to make sure no one else was listening before saying: "Mind telling me why you were snooping?"

Ethan managed to reply through chattering teeth. "Honestly, I just thought you were hoarding candy, but this is something else. You're working with those guys?"

Naturally, Boris had a plan in case anyone heard him talking to Nightshade.

"No I'm not. If you heard me talking then you would've heard I was giving him false information. He thinks we have an army and a base in the streets. He doesn't know that we're just trying to escape. There's little guards by the entrance thanks to me."

Boris hoped that would be enough for Ethan but it turned out he was smarter than Boris gave him credit for.

"That still raises the question of how you're even in contact with Nightshade."

_Damn it. _Boris thought. _Still, I might be able to get out of this._

Boris looked at the ground and squinted his eyes. It gave the perfect image of someone sad and regretful.

"I was a spy for Malistaire." Admitted Boris. "I was used to report what was going on to Lord Nightshade. Every time a plan went wrong or a trick didn't work, it was because of me. I even helped with the spellbook assassination attempt. I didn't want to but Lord Nightshade-"

_Time for those physiological books to come in use. _Thought Boris. So far he was telling the truth. But by acting as if he felt guilty about it, he might be able to get away with it. Of course, he still had his "kidnapped parents" card.

Boris teared up and started blubbering a bit for effect. "He took my parents from me. He showed me them on the crystal. He tortured them. He told me that my only hope of keeping them alive was if I betrayed Wizard City. After the cursed spellbook, I wanted out. But I knew I couldn't. They knew I couldn't. If I tried to come clean you guys would probably kill me. If I died then Nightshade would have no use for my parents. He'd- he'd…"

Boris trailed off as if the thought was too painful. He was fairly confident Ethan didn't know his parents were actually in a private villa in Wysteria. The look of sympathy on Ethan's face raised his hopes.

_He's actually buying this. _Thought Boris.

Ethan smiled and said, "don't worry it man. We can't change the past and you had no other choice. I take it Nightshade still as your parents?"

Boris nodded slowly.

"And even thought you knew that you're going to help us escape, knowing your parents will die if you do?"

Boris didn't nod this time. Instead, he teared up a bit more.

"This isn't what they'd want. Nightshade will kill them anyway. I'm going to help you guys leave. It's my fault things are this bad."

Boris wiped his eyes. He'd actually tricked this guy into his sob story.

Ethan closed his eyes and started concentrating. Boris could feel the magical build-up. He wasn't sure what Ethan was going to do, but it was going to take up a lot of mana. Boris initially suspected an attack and was worried because he knew he wouldn't be able to win in a fight. What he didn't suspect was to see Ethan point at the ground and blast a bright beam of mana that burned an "X" in the ground.

"Why did you do that?" Asked Boris.

Ethan breathed heavily for a few seconds. Marking a location wasn't easy. It takes a lot out of you to bind yourself to a particular location. Even if its temporary. Once he caught his breath, he replied.

"I'm gonna save your parents.

Boris looked like he'd been hit by a car. And it wasn't just because he was pretending as if his parents had been kidnapped.

"Are you serious?" Asked Boris. "You'll never be able to reach them."

Ethan took out a vial filled with a blue liquid from his pocket. "I've got this. Invisibility that lasts for a few hours. It even cloaks mana so they won't be able to sense me. I'll join the others on the escape, drink this, infiltrate Castle Nightshade, grab your parents and teleport them back. Once they're here, I'll brew up a few more potions and we'll join everyone else. Easy." Ethan returned the vial to his pocket.

"I only had the one potion. I didn't want to run out on everyone and escape by myself. I gathered a few materials from around Nightside and I gathered enough to brew two more. I never finished and never had any need to since there wouldn't be enough. But I can finish them tonight. I can bring you parents back here and give them the potions. Assuming the first one doesn't run out before we get to the Spiral Gate, all will be good."

Boris had done a lot of bad things up to this point. He sacrificed others, attempted murder, lied, betrayed and other things. Honestly, he only did it because he could tell right away Wizard City wouldn't win this war and wanted to be on the winning side. He reminded himself everytime he felt doubt that these people would die anyway so there's no point in dying with them. But this guy thought his parents were in the hands of Lord Nightshade and was willing to sacrifice his own safety for a chance at saving them. There was no way he could just let this guy go on a pointless suicide quest.

Then again…

Boris teared up for effect before saying, "thank you."

Eh, he'd get over it.

* * *

The next morning, everyone in Nightside had lined up to the doors. The few wizards had formed a ring around them to keep them safe. Children had been ushered in the middle. Everyone knew the plan and the risks. Each one looked around to see faces they may not see again. Faces that may not see their's again. Before they left, Boris dragged Nicholas to the side.

"I've looked through my crystal, there's no one guarding the gates to Ravenwood. I think they've given up on trying to get past it."

"What about the commons?" Asked Nicholas.

"A bunch of ghosts, dark fairies, and other undead. No major threat. A huge mass has assembled at Castle Nightshade. I think there's a meeting or something but I can't see it."

A sparkle of hope flashed on Nicholas' face. He began to think they could make it with minimal casualties. Of course, Boris knew better. There was, in fact, a trap waiting for them. The outside of the tunnel had magical explosives buried underneath. Once someone crossed over it, it would exploded. From Boris' understanding, the initial blast would take out the front half of the survivors. Afterwards, the more elite undead, including Dark Oriel, would appear from the Fairgrounds and houses and finish off the remaining. There'd be minor confusion as to why there was a massive group heading towards Ravenwood and not coming from it, but it wouldn't stop them from tearing the survivors apart. The monsters were given orders not to kill Boris (Boris suspected Nightshade himself wanted the honor of torturing and killing him) so he'd be safe from them. He'd also made sure he was positioned in the back so he'd survive the blast. By the time Nightshade figured out Boris tricked him, he'd be long gone.

Nicholas walked in front of everyone and stood on a nearby boulder for height. He would've looked inspiring and confident if not for his swaying around from lack of balance.

"Alright, today is the day we leave this place. Our plan is to reach Ravenwood and head for Grizzleheim. The bears know us as friends and will be likely to shelter us. They might even help us form an army to take back Wizard City and stop Malistaire! It wont be easy though. The distance between the cave and the Ravenwood tunnel may seem like only a few dozen yards, but there will be monsters on the outside. Not everyone will make it to the end. But there will be survivors. We wizards will form a circle around the rest of you for maximum protection. We might fall but we will gladly die for pride of Wizard City! Now lets head out!"

There was no loud triumphant cheer. There were only slow nods, final hugs and kisses and empty eyes. Boris looked behind him to see the now empty Nightside. All the tents and sleeping bags had been left behind. To his left was Ethan, who gave him a confident grin.

_Been nice knowing you dumbass_. Thought Boris.

Nicholas pushed open the gate for the survivors to walk through. Boris didn't know what the rest were thinking. Maybe some thought they'd all make it to the end. Maybe they thought they were doomed. Maybe there were a few desperately telling themselves _There's a one in a hundred chance of them getting me, I'll be fine_ while they tried to scoot into the center. Boris was the only one who knew for certain what will happen:

Every single person here would be slaughtered except for him.

And he was going to watch it happen without a twinge of guilt.

* * *

**A/N: I'm back! My motivation to write has finally returned and I was able to bring all of you this hopefully great chapter. Sorry if you were expecting a chapter about Malistaire but only half of this story is going to be about him. Don't worry though, he will be in the next chapter. That way you can all sit back and wonder "what happens to Boris and the survivors then?" **

**So yeah, this is my own headcanon about Boris. When I first played the game I was almost confident this dude was a spy or something. There's a good chance he was and was never caught because your wizard killed everyone who could rat on him. Once Malistaire lost, I just assumed he acted like he was never a spy and no one could tell him different. Speaking of theories…**

**My Wizard101 theory forum is finally up! Technically, it's been up for months but since I never advertised for it, I figured it couldn't hurt to mention. There's a few great ideas in there already, not counting my own ;). Not to sound arrogant but I'm really impressed with myself on how organized and diverse it is. I reccomend any writers to check it out just to get a few plot ideas. **

**With all that said, great to be back. Stayed tuned for the next chapter. ****Like and subscribe.**

**\- Di Knight.**


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